This invention relates to positive pressure, self-contained or demand regulated breathing apparatus and, more particularly, to new and improved means for a distressed user of such equipment low on air to easily and safely connect his or her face mask to a buddy's air supply in emergency situations.
Positive pressure, self-contained breathing apparatus have become standard equipment for emergency operation personnel of most fire departments, mines, police and armed forces. Such equipment allows the user to carry his air supply with him when he enters an air contaminated atmosphere. The user's stay in the contaminated atmosphere is limited by the capacity of the air cylinder or cylinders he carries. Nevertheless, the time allotted the user is usually sufficient to provide time to finish search and rescue missions.
There are times, however, when the user has stayed too long in the air contaminated atmosphere and runs out of his air supply. In this situation, it is necessary for the distressed user of this equipment to immediately share a "buddy's" air supply.
Heretofore, the method of sharing a buddy's air supply involved the disconnection of the air hose of the distressed user from his regulator and then sticking the end of his hose under the face mask of his buddy's equipment. This system of sharing is dangerous since the buddy's face mask and in turn the distressed user's new supply may be easily contaminated since it is difficult to keep the contaminated atmosphere out of the sharing buddy's face mask, as hereinafter explained. Further, it is easy to pull out the end of the distressed user's hose from his buddy's face mask if he is not careful.
Another unsatisfactory method of buddy sharing is to share by sequentially shifting a common face mask from one user to the other while the non-user holds his breath.
Needless to say, these methods are unsatisfactory because of air contamination, heat, smoke and gases which can leak into the masks and air of the sharing buddies. Further, these contaminates can blind or even become deadly to both buddies in a matter of seconds.